


Rules Are Made To Be Broken

by Anonymous



Series: Ninjago Things [4]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Has this been done yet?, Hogwarts AU, Hogwarts First Year, Human Cryptor (Ninjago), Human Echo Zane, Human Zane (Ninjago), I don’t have many tags yet because I’m still figuring things out, M/M, None of the Ninja are going to follow the rules lol, POV Alternating, POV Third Person, They all already know each other, We’ll see how far we get, What houses they go into is up for debate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24633931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: It’s time to go to Hogwarts! Unfortunately for Jay, being a muggleborn isn’t such a good way to make friends. But luckily, there’s a few people who don’t follow the status quo... or the rules, apparently.
Relationships: Cole & Jay Walker, Cole & Kai & Jay Walker & Zane, Cole & Lloyd Garmadon & Kai & Nya & Jay Walker & Zane, Echo Zane & Jay Walker, Echo Zane & Zane (Ninjago), Future Cole/Zane (Ninjago), Future Kai/Jay Walker, Lloyd Garmadon & Kai
Series: Ninjago Things [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686901
Comments: 32
Kudos: 88
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Houses

Finalized decisions!

  
Jay: Hufflepuff

Reasoning: He’s a fluffy bean who values his friends above all else. Sure, he’s smart, but I view him as more of a friendly guy than a smart guy.

  
  
  


Zane: Ravenclaw

Reasoning: He’s smart as hell and while he does value his friends a lot, I see his intelligence as one of his more prominent features.

  
  
  


Nya: Gryffindor

Reasoning: She’s ridiculously brave- even before she knew she had powers, she was out in the field as Samurai X. 

  
  
  


Lloyd: Slytherin

Reasoning:He’s cunning and the way he reacts to being put in a “bad” house will likely have a good impact on the story. Credits to Sky_Racer6 for helping me make the decision.

  
  
  


Kai: Gryffindor 

Reasoning: He is a reckless boi, and while he is ambitious, I believe he’s more brave than cunning. Credits to Sky_Racer6 for helping me decide which house.

  
  
  


Cole: Hufflepuff

Reasoning: He’s a fluffy bean who values his friends above all else. 

  
  
  


Echo: Hufflepuff

Reasoning: Although I think he’s capable of being as smart as Zane, I also think that he’s more of a bean- Sorry for the crappy explanation idk how else to say it.

  
  
  


Pixal: Ravenclaw

Reasoning: She’s super smart, and I can’t really view her as anything else.

  
  
  


Skylor: Slytherin

Reasoning: She’s cunning and ambitious, and while she does have the qualities of some of the other houses, this one suits the majority of her traits. Credits (once again) to Sky_Racer6 for helping me even have an idea of which house- I honestly only knew that she wouldn’t be Ravenclaw.

  
  
  


Cryptor: Ravenclaw

Reasoning: He’s really smart.

  
  
  


Ronin: Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher

Reasoning: It just seems to fit him, I guess.

  
  
  


Garmadon: Transfiguration teacher

Reasoning: Have you seen how many diffrent bodies this guy has had.

Morro: Flying Instructor

Reasoning: He’s the Master of Wind.

  
  
  


Misako: History of Magic teacher

Reasoning: She’s an arcaeolgist.

  
  
  


Mistaké: Herbology teacher

Reasoning: Tea is most herbs and hot water, so I think this fits. Credits for the idea to the guest user Ara.

  
  
  


Pythor Chumsworth: Head of Slytherin/Potions teacher

Reasoning: Idk it just seems to fit.

  
  
  


Wu: Headmaster

Reasoning: Once again, just seems to fit.

  
  
  


Cyrus Borg: Head of Ravenclaw/Astronomy teacher

Reasoning: He’s really smart.

  
  
  


Dareth: Head of Hufflepuff

Reasoning: While he is kind of dumb, he values his friends highly and is very friendly.

  
  
  


Chen: Head of Gryffindor/Charms teacher

Reasoning: Bravery isn’t always a good thing, and you have to be **_very_ ** brave to gather a whole bunch of Elemental Masters in one place and try to steal their powers. 

  
  
  


Thank you for your help! I’ll try to have the first chapter up soon! 


	2. (Jay) Welcome to the Wizarding World!

Jay looks around in awe. Diagon Alley. It’s- it’s  **_amazing_ ** . He spends a few moments just standing there, eyes wide as he takes in the sights.

With a quick shake of his head, he goes back to his shopping list. His parents gave him some cash that was transferred into wizarding money so that he could afford to buy things, but he’s not exactly rich, so he probably shouldn’t spend any money on a pet.

The young wizard quickly acquires a uniform and carefully puts it in his bag, folding it nicely. He then heads off to the bookstore, _‘Flourish_ _and_ _Blotts’_. It looks like he needs eight textbooks- and maybe it wouldn’t hurt to grab a few more. Jay barely knows anything about the wizarding world- he just got here, for god's sake.

While he’s gathering the textbooks, he finds himself so focused on trying to find where they are that he accidentally stumbles into someone, tripping them both. They fall to the floor, and Jay immediately attempts to brush the stranger off and help him up.

“I’m so sorry!” He apologizes as they get up. “I- I guess I got distracted, and I- I didn’t mean to knock you down!”

The blond boy smiles, picking up his bag and the books he was holding. “It is quite alright. Is this your first time at the store? I do not believe I have seen you around here before.”

“Oh! Uh, yeah. I’ve- I’ve never been to Diagon Alley until now.” Jay admits somewhat sheepishly. “I’m Jay, by the way.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Jay. I am Zane. Would you like some assistance in finding your books? The store is quite complex for a newcomer.” Zane offers, seeming totally unaffected by the sudden fall.

“That- that would be nice.” The ginger admits. “But I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“It would be no problem. What are you looking for?” The blond asks. Huh. If everyone in the wizarding world is like this, it’ll be amazing! Magic  **_and_ ** nice people? Seems almost too good to be true.

Jay shows him the list. “I’m a first year at Hogwarts.” He explains.

Zane smiles at him. “I am also beginning my first year! I bought the required books all the way up to the third year, and have read up to the second!” He sounds very proud of this, and honestly, it sounds pretty impressive. He’s a whole year ahead of the class? Woah.

As they walk around collecting the books, they run into another boy who looks to be almost an exact copy of Zane, save for his brown hair and yellow eyes.

“This is Echo. He is my brother, one of three in a set of triplets. Cryptor is the other.” The blond informs him.

“Oh! Well, it’s nice to meet you, Echo. I’m Jay!” The ginger introduces himself. Triplets? Jay can barely imagine having one sibling, let alone two identical ones!

“It is nice to meet you as well!” The brunet agrees with a smile. “What brings you to the store?”

“He is a first year and is gathering his textbooks. I offered to help him find them.” Zane explains before Jay has a chance to say anything.

“Ah! Well, don’t let me bother you. I hope you find what you need!” With that quick goodbye, Echo walks away, leaving the other two boys to their own devices.

It takes a little while to find all of the books, but the time is filled with cheerful idle chatter, and Jay finds himself having a pretty good time.

But all good things must come to an end, and soon enough, he’s gathered the final book on the list, along with a few extras.

“Well, it was a pleasure talking to you, Jay. I will have to catch up with you later! Perhaps I will see you on the express.” And with that, the blond goes off on his way, Jay bidding him a quick goodbye as he does.

With a large grin on his face, the young wizard puts his new textbooks in his bag and looks back at the list. Next up would be a wand. 

As he walks into  _ ‘Ollivanders’ _ , his attention is immediately caught by a group of three people about his age: a spiky haired brunet, a short blond, and an annoyed looking noirette.

“But I want  **_this_ ** wand!” The brunet protests against the shop owner. “Do you not see how cool it is?”

“Ahh, yes, but-”

“But  _ ‘the wand chooses the wizard’ _ , yeah, yeah, I know.” The brunet grumbles. “Still, I’m telling you, I think a phoenix feather core is the way to go!”

The blond chuckles. “That was a rhyme.” He points out. “Your argument is now invalid.”

“That’s not how that works, you brat.” Despite the harsh words, the brunet says them in a playful tone that expresses that he means no offence. 

Jay makes his way over. “Uh, hey.” He greets. “Is- is this where I go to get my wand?” He smacks himself internally. They’re talking about wands, of  **_course_ ** he’s in the right place!

The four turn to him. “Hmm? Yeah.” The brunet nods. “I’ll let you go ahead. I don’t think I’ll be finding mine any time soon.”

So Jay talks to the shopkeeper and after several unsuccessful attempts, winds up with an apple wood and phoenix feather wand, which seems to annoy the brunet- Kai, he said his name was- to no end.

“Why does  **_he_ ** get a phoenix feather core?!” He complains.

The girl, who introduced herself as Nya, rolls her eyes. “Because that wand suits him, you idiot. And may I remind you that it’s only because you keep insisting on that type of core that we’re still here.”

The blond- Lloyd- pipes up as well. “Maybe try a dragon heartstring.” He suggests. “That’s still kind of fire-like, right?”   
  


“Is  **_that_ ** why you’re insisting on the feather? Because you’re a pyromaniac?” Nya scoffs.   
  


“I’m not a pyromaniac!” Kai snaps. “Fire is just pretty, okay?”

“You almost burned the house down!” The noirette protests. 

The brunet rolls his eyes and turns to face Jay. “Seriously, that’s a cool wand. Are you a first year too?”

The ginger nods. “Uh, yeah. I- I’m really excited. I don’t know too much about magic yet, and I-”

“Wait. Are you a muggleborn?” Lloyd asks, looking slightly confused.

Jay frowns. “Um… yes? Is- is something wrong with that?”

Nya quickly shakes her head as the three of them all speak in unison. “No!”

But the noirette continues beyond them. “No, nothings wrong with it. Just- maybe don’t mention it too much.”

A sinking feeling starts to settle in his gut. “What? Why?” 

“Just don’t. Trust us on this.” The blond butts in, looking slightly nervous. 

Jay quickly does the math in his head. Of course! There’s bound to be prejudices in the wizarding world, and it’s likely that someone who was born from a family without magic would be looked down upon.

… well shit.

“Oh- okay.” The ginger gives a weak nod. “Thanks for the tip.”

“I- look, you don’t need to be scared or anything, just- maybe keep it on the down-low.” Lloyd adds. 

Nya glances off to the side. “I hate to admit it, but he’s probably right. Being a muggleborn isn’t exactly something people are proud of.”

Kai isn’t paying them any attention- as a matter of fact, he’s gone back to trying to find a new wand. The other three go silent as the brunet tries again and again to find something that suits him.

In the end, he winds up with fir wood and a dragon heartstring core. “Better than unicorn hair, I guess.” He grumbles.

So the four of them go their separate ways, and Jay makes his way over to the next shop where he can find what he needs- a cauldron. And judging from the name  _ ‘Potage’s Cauldron Shop’ _ , this store should have a few that he can choose from.

And sure enough, he finds what he needs rather quickly, and is able to move on to the next set of things, which he should be able to find at-

Wait.

Is that…

Is that a wizarding scrap store?

The sign reads  _ ‘The Junk Store’ _ , and it seems to be full of discarded items. Just through the window, Jay can see broken wands, lopsided scales, and pieces of equipment with potion stains. 

Well, looks like he found what job he wants when he gets out of school. Or maybe he could work part time in his later years. Either way, that shop seems like a dream come true.

Shaking his head, Jay goes back to his list. He can come back to the store once he’s finished shopping for things he actually needs.

He heads into  _ ‘Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment’ _ and tries to grab what he needs as quickly as possible. He  **_really_ ** wants into that scrap shop.

Once again, he bumps into someone. This time, luckily, he doesn’t send them sprawling to the floor- probably because they’re heavily built and Jay couldn’t have knocked them down if he wanted to.

“Woah, is everything okay?” The guy frowns. “You’re not hurt, are you? Sorry, I should’ve been watching where I was going.”

“No! It’s my fault. I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing.” The ginger winces. “And I’m not hurt. I- I didn’t get you, did I?”

The buff boy shakes his head. “I’m fine. But seriously, is everything okay? You seem to be really stressed out.”

“Hmm? No, I’m just- I was excited about going to another shop after this and I wanted to finish up here as soon as I could.” Jay admits somewhat sheepishly.

“Oh! Well, I’ll get out of your way then.” The tanned boy gives him a soft smile and walks off, responding to the ginger’s wave of farewell with one of his own.

Silently cursing his stupidity, Jay gathers the rest of what he needs from the list and heads off to the scrap shop. 

His mind is buzzing with ideas for magical inventions- maybe even ones mixed with muggle technology! What would happen if he ground up a bunch of broken wands into powder? What magic properties would it have? What if he took a bunch of wands and used them as spokes in a wheel and then tried to cast a spell while using it as a frisbee?

Okay, that might be a bad idea. But still! The possibilities are endless!

With a large grin on his face, he begins exploring the shop. The wizarding world is amazing!


	3. (Kai) It’s Alive!

Take it from Kai; the wizarding world sucks. 

It’s the expectations that do it for him. He’s a pureblood who was raised completely unaware of magic due to the death of his parents and was thrown headfirst into a world that he knew jack about at a young age. 

Who wouldn’t hate it?

And even though he gives it all he’s got, he always ends up at the bottom, always the underdog, no matter how hard he tries. His effort never seems to make even the slightest difference.

But this year, that’ll change. This year, he has a shot at making a name for himself. This year, he’s beginning his magical journey.

This year, he goes to Hogwarts.

And here he is, standing at the 9 and three quarters platform, waiting for the express to arrive. 

Nya stands next to him, and the brunet taps his foot impatiently as he looks around for their friends. Zane had informed them ahead of time that he'd be a little later than the agreed upon time, but Cole and Lloyd should be here by now!

Not long after he has this thought, he spots the tall noirette chatting with Jay a little ways away as they slowly meander towards the two siblings.

So Cole’s met the ginger too? Hadn’t he said that he was a muggleborn? How does he already know people?

Before Kai has the chance to ponder this too much, a familiar blond suddenly pops up next to him, eliciting a startled screech from the brunet.

Eyes turn to him for a moment before everyone goes back to their business, and Kai glares at his honorary brother. 

“Really?” He groans. “I have a reputation, you know.”

Lloyd just laughs, and by that time, the other two boys have made their way over. 

“Is everything okay?” Jay asks with a tilt of his head.

“Yeah, you screamed kinda loud.” Cole agrees.

Kai huffs, shooting the short blond one last glare. “I’m fine.”

He hears a quiet chuckle and turns to see Nya with a large grin on her face. **_Of_** **_course_** she found that funny.

Kai huffs a second time. The train can’t get here fast enough.

  
  


* * *

Zane arrives not long later, just before the express shows up. The six of them decide to share a compartment, and soon become comfortably seated.

“Jay, you said that you are going to begin your first year as well. Do you have an idea of which house you will be sorted into? I am not certain, but I currently believe that I will most likely fall into the Ravenclaw category.” The tall blond prompts.

The ginger tilts his head. “House?” He questions meekly. “I, uh… I don’t know what you mean by that.”

Zane frowns, but Kai is quick to explain- ignoring the glare he gets from Nya for doing so. “He’s a muggleborn.”

“Kai!” His sister glares. 

“What? We’re all good, no one here will judge him for it.” He defends himself. “Besides, he was bound to find out eventually.”

Cole glances over at Jay. “Zane and I are half-bloods, and Lloyd’s mom is a squib.” He informs the ginger. “And while Nya and Kai are both standard pure bloods, neither of them are rude about it.”

Jay nods politely, but it’s clear that he has no idea what the noirette is talking about. But before Kai gets a chance to explain, Lloyd speaks up.

“Half-blood means one of your parents is a muggle, pure blood means both are wizards, and a squib is someone who can’t do magic even though one or both of their parents can.” 

Jay nods once again, this time in understanding. “Right. Thanks. But, uh… what are the different houses Zane was talking about?”

Nya takes that as her cue to explain. “The houses are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Each person is sorted into one based off of their core attributes.”

Kai sighs. Are they just going to spend the whole trip explaining things to a muggleborn? Because seriously, that sounds ridiculously boring.

“Core attributes?” The ginger frowns. “Like what?”

“Well, to grossly oversimplify, Gryffindor is bravery, Slytherin is cunning, Ravenclaw is intelligence, and Hufflepuff is loyalty.” Zane tells him.

“Oh! Uh, maybe Ravenclaw? I like to build and invent things.” Jay smiles.

“I don’t know which one I want.” Cole admits. “Whoever will accept me, I guess.”

“Kai and I are aiming for Gryffindor.” Nya proclaims happily, ignoring the scowl he gives her. He can speak for himself!

“I am too.” Lloyd grins. “And once I’m old enough, I’m gonna be a Prefect!” 

“I will not be attempting to gain that title.” Zane admits. “I merely wish to study and learn about the school, and added responsibilities may interfere with such a goal.”

Kai sighs, mentally trying to figure out how far away they are from the school. How long is this gonna take?

They continue chatting, and time slowly crawls by as the brunet loses more and more interest. 

After a while, the door to the compartment opens, and a witch stands there with a smile, pushing a food cart. “Anything off the trolley, dears?” She asks.

Cole glances around the cabin. “You guys want anything? I’ll pay.”

“Yes!” Lloyd is practically bouncing in his seat at the prospect, eliciting a small chuckle from Kai. Seriously, the blond has a sweet tooth almost as bad as Cole’s.

“No, but I appreciate the offer.” Zane smiles with a polite nod.

Nya shakes her head. “Not really hungry, thanks though.”

“I can pay for myself, but, uh, what do you have?” Towards the end of the sentence, Jay turns his attention to the trolley lady, who proceeds to inform him of the Honeydukes Express’s contents.

Kai turns his focus to Cole, internally debating getting something. “You sure you’re willing to buy?”

The noirette shrugs “As long as you don’t try to get the whole cart or anything.”

“What’s the max amount of things I’m allowed to get?” Lloyd questions. 

“I- wait a minute, didn't your dad say to limit the junk food?” The tanned wizard frowns. 

“Drat.” Lloyd hisses under his breath.

Kai stifles a laugh. “Would you mind getting me a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans?” He asks. He can stash a few away and give them to Lloyd when no one’s looking.

It seems that Jay was having a conversation with the trolley lady, and as he reaches into his bag- likely for a wallet- Cole hands the witch a galleon. “I’ll pay for him, and could I also get a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, along with two chocolate frogs?” 

“I- I can pay for myself.” Jay insists.

“Nah, I got it.” The noirette smiles as the lady starts handing him what he bought. She tries to return his chance, but Cole waves her off. “Don’t worry about it.”

Kai stifles another laugh as he watches as the ginger sneaks the money he was going to give to the lunch lady into the noirette’s bag. 

Maybe the new guy isn’t so bad.

Zane and Nya notice as well, but like Kai, neither of them comment on it, though they do exchange a glance. 

As the trolley lady leaves, Cole hands Jay and the brunet what they asked for. “Have you ever had a chocolate frog?” He asks the muggleborn.

Jay shakes his head. “I haven’t had any wizard candy before.” He admits. “Is there something special about it?”

Kai grins. Oh, this is going to be fun. “Why don’t you open the box and see?” He prompts. Too bad he doesn’t have a camera, because this is going to be  **_priceless_ ** .

The ginger gives him a slightly fearful glance as he opens the box, peering inside. The second he does, the frog leaps out and lands on his shoulder.

Jay’s shriek is earsplitting, and he grabs the frog and throws it across the compartment, only for it to be caught by Lloyd. “Can I have this?” The blond asks.

“ **_WHY IS IT ALIVE_ ** ?!” The ginger screeches, dropping the box it was kept in, Nya immediately snatches it up to look at the card. 

“Sensei Wu. Drat. I already have that one.” She comments. 

“It is not  **_alive_ ** , per say. It is merely made of croakoa, which allows it to act as though it is. Do not worry, it is not sentient.” Zane informs the muggleborn.

Cole has already finished his first frog and is onto his second. “They’re really good.” He assures the ginger. 

“I’m- I’m not gonna eat something that’s  **_moving_ ** .” Jay insists. The unspoken  _ ‘what the heck is wrong with you people’ _ is subtle, but it’s there. 

“Can I have it, then?” Lloyd repeats, still holding onto it tightly. 

“Yeah.” Jay nods. “I- go ahead.”

Kai opens his box of every flavor beans and pops a few into his mouth, wincing as he realizes one of them was earwax. Once again, really too bad that he didn’t have a camera. 

Suddenly, a wicked idea strikes him. “Want a flavor bean?” He prompts, starting to dig around for the one he wants. Sadly, he can’t seem to find the exact kind he was looking for, but in the end, this one will work.

“It- it’s not alive, is it?”

“Nope!” Kai assures him, trying- and failing- to hide his grin. He holds out the bean. “C’mon, just give it a try.”

Carefully, the muggleborn reaches out for it, only for Zane to smack it out of his hand. “Kai.” He says sternly. “He is new. That was rather impolite.”

“What- what was impolite?” Fear flashes across Jay’s face, and Kai is suddenly struck with guilt. Okay, maybe it was kind of mean of him… 

“He was attempting to give you one that was rotten egg flavored.” The tall blond explains, glaring at the wizard in question.

“Well, I was looking for vomit.” Kai admits. Sure, he feels bad, but he can’t express that. He already tried to go through with the prank, no point in trying to apologize now.

Jay shrinks back some, and the guilt hits him even harder. “Why- why are those flavors?” He demands, but his weak voice makes it more scared than angry. 

Cole gives the brunet a nasty look. “The tagline is  _ ‘A risk with every mouthful’ _ .” He explains. “But it’s supposed to be a risk you take for  **_yourself_ ** , not something you inflict on someone else.”

“The wizarding world is so confusing.” Jay mutters quietly, and Kai can’t help his snort of agreement. But if he thinks  **_this_ ** is bad, how is he going to take the rest of it?

With a sigh, Kai pops a few more of the beans into his mouth, ignoring Nya’s sharp kick. Why is everyone so attached to this guy? He just got here.

But as he looks over the ginger, he can’t help but find himself growing attached himself. This guy sure has a way with people- intentional or not.


	4. (Lloyd) The Evil House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, I honestly have no idea how I’m getting these out so fast, don’t expect it to last-

A voice echoes through the train. “We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to school separately.”

Lloyd is practically bouncing as the express comes to a stop, pushing his way out of the compartment and out into the corridor. 

“Lloyd, hang on!” Kai grabs him by his sleeve. “Wait for the rest of us.”

The blond grumbles under his breath, but waits just long enough for the others to catch up before briskly pushing his way through the throng of people. They make their way out onto a small platform, where all of the wizards and witches are gathering.

“First years, this way. All of you first years, come over here.” A tired and somewhat annoyed voice catches his attention. Lloyd makes his way over to it, along with quite a few others. 

“Any more first years? No? Alright, follow me.” The man orders, making his way down a dark path. The group follows him, nervous whispers all around.

Lloyd’s actually been here before, visiting his parents and uncle at their jobs. He’s never taken this particular path, but he already knows his way around the school- and who’s leading them there.

Ronin seems exhausted with them already, and he’s only just started to interact with them. Then again, the guy has never been much of a people person.

Eventually, they reach the Black Lake, and Ronin starts instructing them to get onto the boats in groups of four.

He gets on a boat with Kai, Nya, and a girl with bright red hair, and he spots Cole, Jay, and Zane on a boat with Echo. That’s the name of Zane’s brunet brother, right? Yeah, he thinks that’s it. Lloyd hasn’t really interacted with him much, so it’s pretty reasonable to have forgotten his name.

Soon enough, they make it to the castle. Ronin knocks on the door, and it’s quickly swung open, and he recognizes Master Chen standing there. He takes a moment to ponder once again why they all have different titles. Oh well. Not really important.

“I brought the first years.” Ronin informs the Head of Gryffindor.

“Yes, yes, I see that. Come! You all will follow me!” Chen instructs, and without any complaints, they do.

Lloyd ignores the ghosts that they pass by- he pays absolutely no attention to his surroundings, choosing instead to focus on what he thinks will come ahead. His mom had mentioned that there was a magic hat that sorted people into their houses, but she never explained it in detail.

The Sorting Hat sings it’s song, but Lloyd doesn’t pay it any mind. Misako is a squib and didn’t get sorted into a house, but his father was a Gryffindor. Houses aren’t genetic or anything, but families do generally wind up in the same one.

People are called up and sorted, but as they go through the A’s, the blond still doesn’t focus on them. He doesn’t know any of them, so why should he care? 

It’s only when Cole is called up that he starts paying attention. 

“Brook, Cole!”

The tanned wizard doesn’t hesitate- he doesn’t even look nervous. He walks right up to the stool and sits down. The hat hesitates a moment- but not for very long.

“HUFFLEPUFF!” It yells, loud enough to reverberate through the hall.

There’s a loud cheer, and the noirette makes his way over to the table with the yellow and black banners, taking a seat.

Lloyd tunes out the others who go up, too focused on his own thoughts. Cole being a Hufflepuff makes sense, though knowing him, he also could have been Gryffindor. 

More names are called, and a good dozen people go through, sorted into their houses in a pattern that seems almost random- though he knows that it’s based off of their mind.

“Garmadon, Lloyd!” 

The blond wizard forces himself to stand tall and determined, ignoring the fear that rushes through him. He walks through the crowd of people until he reaches the stool, and takes a deep breath as the hat is put on his head, over his eyes.

_ “Interesting, very interesting. Bravery, determination, cunning, loyalty… you seem to fit everything.” _ The hat comment quietly.

Great! If he fits everything, he can just go to Gryffindor and-

_ “No, bravery doesn’t seem to be your most prominent feature… hmm. This is more difficult than I was expecting. Push comes to shove, I think-” _

“SLYTHERIN!” The hat yells.

… huh? It just- it put him in  **_Slytherin_ ** ? How could it do that?! The house is  **_evil_ ** , and Lloyd’s not evil! Why would it put him there?!

The hat is taken off of his head and numbly, the blond walks over to the table of his new house. He can  **_feel_ ** the eyes on him as he sits down. Staring at the sorting hat with sharp eyes and a look of betrayal, he watches as Nya and Kai are both sorted into Gryffindor, Zane into Ravenclaw, and Jay into Hufflepuff.

Slytherin. He’s in  **_Slytherin_ ** . Alone, without any of his friends, surrounded by evil people. This is just  **_great_ ** .

While trying to twist and look at the high table where his parents and uncle sit, he accidentally bumps into a kid sitting next to him.

He receives a sharp glare for his mistake. “If you would focus on what you’re doing, some of us actually care about what’s going on around them.” The polite words are said in an insulting tone.

“Oh? Where are they sitting? I'll be sure not to bother them.” Lloyd makes direct eye contact with the boy as he speaks, taking in his appearance. Gray eyes with hair the same color- although a good portion of the locks are black. Something in the back of his mind warns that he should avoid pissing this guy off.

Lloyd ignores the feeling and holds his ground. His family pretty much owns the school, it’s not like this guy can hurt him.

“And what’s your name again?” The boy questions.

“Lloyd Garmadon.” He waits for the sudden shock and desire to apologize to strike his fellow Slytherin, but if it does, the boy doesn’t let it show.

“Neuro.” He nods, before turning back to the high table.

Lloyd pays no attention to his uncle as the old wizard greets the new students. The plates are suddenly filled with food, and the blond hesitates a moment as he glances over at the Gryffindor table where his honorary siblings are seated. 

They seem happy, loudly chatting with one another. Kai glances back at him, and for a moment, their eyes meet. The brunet winces as they do and mouths a silent apology to the blond.

Lloyd looks away. At least  **_someone_ ** has the arrangement they wanted.

He silently eats his food, ignoring the idle chatter that takes place around him. It’s eventually replaced with dessert, but somehow, the boy doesn’t feel up to sugar at the moment.

The second the meal is over and they’re allowed to leave, Lloyd darts out of the hall and out towards the Slytherin common room- a place he never thought he would actually go. After he reaches it, he pauses as a sudden thought strikes him.

He doesn’t know the password.

So he waits impatiently until an older boy comes by and speaks it- and it turns out to be  _ ‘Pure blood’ _ .

Of course it is. Of freaking  **_course_ ** . Because Lloyd hasn’t already been ostracized enough by all this.

He makes his way to a dormitory and finds the bed with his stuff, sitting down as he starts contemplating his life.

A  **_Slytherin_ ** . He’s a  **_Slytherin_ ** .

He curls up in the bed, pulling the blankets over his head in a desperate attempt to shield himself from the world. 

Soon enough, the others who share his dorm come up, and the lights are turned off, leaving them in darkness. Water makes gentle swishing noises outside, but the boy pays it no mind.

For the first time in years, Lloyd cries himself to sleep.


	5. (Zane) Organization

Zane wakes up that morning with a smile. He is quick to get dressed in his robes, and as soon as he is, he scans over his schedule and tries to get ready for the day in an orderly fashion- though he finds that his nerves make him shake and occasionally stumble. He may have memorized the content of over seven-thousand three-hundred pages of textbook information, but the classes are likely to be much more difficult than just memorization and taking notes.

Speaking of his notes, the blond double checks that he has all of his notebooks as well as his required texts, which he takes with him to breakfast. It will be beneficial for him to have the knowledge in the forefront of his mind when his first class begins.

Most of the students at his table are doing the same, and he exchanges notes with a nice girl by the name of Pixal. As it turns out, the both of them has different viewpoints on some of the text, and seeing the other’s information will likely benefit the both of them. 

Once the meal is over, Zane heads off to his first class, which happens to be History of Magic.

The class is very intriguing, and he is happy to note that his classmates- who are all of his house- seem to share his affinity for learning. Unlike his muggle elementary school, no one acts out and attempts to disrupt the class.

It is quite enjoyable.

It feels almost as though he has only just sat down when the bell tolls, signaling that the class is over. 

He stays back to talk to Professor Misako and clarify a few more questions that he had, and a few others do the same, including Pixal and Cryptor- although Zane has the feeling that his brother merely wants to keep an eye on him. 

Next he has charms with Master Chen, and the time is shared with Slytherin. As the young wizard walks into the classroom, he notices Lloyd waving him over with a slightly panicked expression upon his face.

Noting his urgency, the Ravenclaw quickly makes his way over and sits beside him. “Is something wrong, Lloyd?”

“I’m in Slytherin, an evil house that values purity, I’m a half blood, and I think my dormmates are plotting my murder.” The words are spoken in a rush, and Zane is taken aback by them for a moment. 

He takes a moment to think of what to say. Speaking has never been his strong suit, but he must say  **_something_ ** to comfort the smaller blond. 

“Murder is against the school rules and would result in expulsion.”

The Slytherin boy scoffs. “I don’t think that’ll stop them. I tried mentioning my last name to imply who I’m related to, but I think that made them hate me more.”

Zane frowns. “Attempting to throw your weight around with your heritage may be seen as a threat.” He points out. “And if you believe you are truly in danger, then I would advise that you mention it to your uncle.”

“I don’t- they won’t actually kill me, I don’t think. Make my life miserable, yes, but not kill me. And that’s not the point.” 

The Ravenclaw tilts his head. “Then what is the point?” He prompts curiously. 

“Well-“

“Welcome to charms class!” Master Chen greets them. “Unfortunately this is our first day and none of you are any good at magic, so we’ll just be practicing hand movements, okay? Okay. Get out your wands!”

Zane is quick to do as instructed. His wand is relatively simple, just unicorn hair and hazel wood, and an average length of eleven and a half inches. It is weaker than some, but he must trust in it- the wand suits him for a reason.

Lloyd’s wand has a fancy design, but is relatively similar- the only differences being ash wood rather than hazel and a slightly more rigid feel.

Zane has done his research on wands, and he is confident that he understands his well enough to successfully manage it- he’s already practiced the movements for quite a few spells, though never with the incantations that go along with them.

As Master Chen instructs in his rather loud and pompous way, Zane takes it upon himself to show Lloyd the finer details. 

Their instructor notices this. “Are you  **_talking_ ** in my classroom?!” He demands angrily. “Pay attention!”

“My apologies, Master, I was merely attempting to assist a fellow classmate-“

“No! They can figure it out themselves!” The pompous man snaps. “If the others can learn it without help, so can they!”

… Zane does not like him.

“Of course. My apologies once again.” He nods, giving his utmost effort in preventing himself from making a biting retort. He must not back talk an instructor.

Master Chen resumes teaching once more, and Zane receives a few sympathetic glances from his fellow Ravenclaw students. Cryptor, however, supplies him with a glare, along with a few other Slytherins.

Hmm. Perhaps Lloyd was right in his initial assessment of his house. Evil is debatable, but the rudeness he has witnessed and heard of so far is not.

Unfortunately, the class does not teach him anything he did not already know, which is quite a disappointment. As the bell tolls, he offers to walk his friend to the Great Hall.

It bothers him that they must sit, learn, and live organized by house. He has friends in other houses, and surely others do as well. Why do they insist on this rule?

Perhaps he should ask Sensei Wu for clarification.

He makes his way to the Great Hall, bidding Lloyd a quick goodbye before going to his table. The meal is uneventful, Zane spending all of his time going over his notes. He notices others at his table doing the same, and a small smile graces his face. It is nice to be surrounded by others similar to him.

Even so, he can’t stop the pang in his chest when he spots Cole on the far side of the room. Before now, they would always share their meals side by side, but due to the arrangements, such an event will not occur again for at least another seven years. 

That is unacceptable.

He will go every rulebook, study every clause until he can find some form of loophole that will allow him to sit with his friends. If all else fails, he will plead with Sensei Wu in order to change the arrangements.

He will not spend seven years without the company of his companions. His education means nothing if he is unable to share his achievements with those closest to him.

The rule books should be somewhere inside of the library. Zane must go there at once.

The moment the official time for the meal ends and they are allowed to leave, the young wizard makes his way to the aforementioned place.

As he walks into the Legal Section, he notes that it seems relatively undisturbed, as though no one had visited the area in a while.

Except for the origin of the voices he currently hears near the back.

“- **_Slytherin_ ** .” Master Chen snarls.

A girl’s voice that sounds like it belongs to someone close to Zane’s age responds. “Father, it’s not my fault that-“

“You know that the sorting hat takes your opinion into account! Why are you defying me like this?!” 

The Ravenclaw stills, keeping his breathing quick and light. He’s not meant to be hearing whatever this conversation is about, but his curiosity keeps him rooted to the spot, eager to hear more.

“I’m not trying to defy you!” The girl argues. “I haven’t told anyone. And-“ She stutters a moment before continuing. “-and isn’t it better this way? I’m in the same house as  **_Lloyd Garmadon_ ** \- we could use him!”

They intend to  **_use_ ** Lloyd? In what way? For what purpose? Zane is tempted to leave in order to attempt to inform the blond of the situation, but in the end, he rules that it would be more beneficial if he finds out more information on the matter.

“Yes…  **_yes_ ** , that just might work.” The head of Gryffindor muses. “Oh, I’m sorry I ever doubted you!”

His emotions appear to be able to turn on a dime- an odd and dangerous quality. It would be in his best interests to keep an eye on him, though what Zane could do against the head of a house, he is not sure.

The Ravenclaw silently backs away, and as soon as he is out of earshot, he rushes out into the halls. He must inform Lloyd about the danger he is in!

Although what the danger could be is uncertain, what he does know will be valuable information for the blond to have.

As he looks around for his friend, he bumps into a different one- Cole.

“Have you seen Lloyd?” Zane questions. “I must speak with him on a matter of utmost importance.”

“Huh? Uh, I think he went back to his common room. Why? Is something wrong?” Cole frowns, concern covering his face.

The Ravenclaw hesitates a moment, but then admits, “We should gather the others. Find who you can, and we will meet by the fountain in the courtyard.”

Without waiting for a reply, Zane makes his way to Gryffindor Tower, and stands in front of the portrait. 

“Password?” She asks.

“I am afraid I do not have it. I merely need to speak with my friends. Is it possible that you could pass a message along?” 

“Can’t do anything without a password.” The portrait informs him.

Just then, the door opens, and Nya stands there, about to head out. A flash of confusion covers her face as she notices him.

“Zane? What’s going on?”

“I would appreciate it if you and Kai would meet me in the courtyard. I must speak with everyone on a very important matter.” The Ravenclaw glances off to the side, silently hoping that if Master Chen is nearby, he won’t care about their meeting.

An expression of confusion still upon her face, Nya nods. “We’ll be right there.”

Zane gives her a nod of his own before making his way to the dungeons. It may be difficult to get a message to Lloyd, but he is the one who will most benefit from the information he has to share.

He pauses outside the Slytherin Dormitory. What would be the proper way to go about this?

In a fortunate turn of events, the door opens, revealing a wizard about his age with gray-ish skin and black hair.

“You need something?” The innocent words are spoken in a distasteful tone that expresses his lack of a desire to help.

Zane decides to ask for it anyway. “I must speak with Lloyd Garmadon. Is he here?”

The Slytherin glares. “I’m his dormmate, not his keeper. If you really wanted to see him, try asking to meet up in advance.”

“I would have done so, but this is an urgent situation I could not have known about in advance. Please, is he here? And if he is, would you fetch him for me?”

The boy sighs loudly. “Only because I want the guy out of my hair.” He agrees, turning back into the common room. 

Zane waits patiently for his return, but when the door opens, Lloyd stands alone. The Ravenclaw immediately notices that his eyes are red- he has most likely been crying.

“What’s up?” The smaller blond asks.

“Would you come with me to the courtyard? It is a very important matter.” Zane glances towards the library as he speaks, even though it is currently out of sight.

Lloyd nods slowly. “Okay. Lead the way.”

As the Ravenclaw takes his friend to where he had asked the group to meet up, he feels the worry he had earlier hit him full force.

Even if Chen is up to something, there would not be much they could do about it. The best case scenario appears to be that Zane misheard something that was said.

Zane has not made an auditory mistake in recent memory.

This has a very low chance of a happy ending.


	6. (Cole) Who Is It?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the wait, I got writers block and left it for a while, and then I forgot that it even existed.
> 
> Oops?

Cole walks into the Hufflepuff common room, glancing around for Jay. He finds the ginger studying a book on inventions powered by magic- kind of an odd topic, but based off of what the ginger’s told him about his past, it kinda makes sense.

“Hey, d’you wanna come meet up with the group? Zane said that something important is going on.”

Jay looks up from the book. “Heh, uh, sure?” He looks nervous, which Cole notes as weird. Is there something to be nervous about?

The ginger sets down his book, and the two of them head off to the courtyard.

“I’m still freaking out.” Jay admits suddenly as they walk. “I can’t believe that I’m learning magic!”

Cole smiles. “It’s pretty cool.” He agrees. “I didn’t know too much about the wizarding world until I got my acceptance letter, but what I’ve seen and heard about so far is amazing.”

“I know, right? Before I kinda hated school, they never taught me anything interesting- and what was interesting that they taught I already knew. But Hogwarts is incredible!” Jay grins. “I never thought I would be so excited about studying textbooks!”

The noirette chuckles. “It might be cool, but no amount of magic is going to be able to make me enjoy studying.”

Jay frowns. “Hmm. Well, technically, there might be some kind of spell or potion that could do that.” He points out.

“If you learn how to make it, please tell me- it’d make the school year a lot easier.”

The two of them reach the courtyard, and Cole sits on the edge of the fountain beside his friends, minus the two blonds of the group. But they should hopefully be arriving soon.

Just as he has that thought, he sees the two of them making their way over.

“There they are.” Nya comments, getting to her feet. “There better be an explanation for this.”

The two other boys reach the fountain, and Zane wastes no time beginning to explain why he’s gathered them here.

“Lloyd is in danger.”

**_This_ ** captures everyone’s attention- Cole included. What’s going on? They’re in  **_Hogwarts_ ** , nothing could possibly pose a threat to any of them!

Right?

“What do you mean,  _ ‘Lloyd’s in danger’ _ ? He’s standing right there!” Kai demands with a sharp glare.

“I overheard a conversation in the library, near the very back of the legal section.” Zane explains. “It was mentioned that they plan to use him for something- though for what, I am not sure.”

Lloyd stares at Zane in shock, almost horror.

“Who was speaking? What did they say?” Nya questions, clearly just as anxious as Kai. 

Well, that’s actually debatable- the brunet is  **_really_ ** close to Lloyd.

Cole hesitates a beat. He’s curious, yeah, but it looks like the most pressing questions have already been asked. So instead of asking more, he just looks to his friend for answers.

“A witch was speaking to a professor. She mentioned that she was in Slytherin and that they may be able to use Lloyd in their plans, though what these plans are, I was not able to discover.”

Lloyd speaks up. “Use me? What? How- how would I be of any help to anyone?”

“I am uncertain.” Zane admits. “But it may be in part to your heritage.” 

“Who was the witch? And who was the professor? Do we know them?” Cole prompts.

Zane glances off to the side. “I know the witch's name, and I believe we are all acquainted with the professor.” 

“ **_Great_ ** ! Who are they?” Kai demands, pulling Lloyd close to him defensively. 

The tall blond hesitates, looking around nervously. “Perhaps this is a bad place for this discussion. I do not wish to be overheard by anyone who may be involved in this plot.” 

Jay just stands there, clearly trying to figure out what’s going on. “I, uh- a  **_teacher_ ** ? They- one of them can’t be a part of some weird plan, they’re here to teach us!” He sounds bewildered. 

Nya sighs. “Well clearly one of them is.  **_Zane_ ** , we need to know who!”

Zane hesitates another moment. “I-“

“Oh, hey!” A new voice speaks up, and the six of them turn to face the source. A girl about their age with bright red hair and a snake crest on her robes stands there, holding some papers. “I’m looking for Lloyd Garmadon? He left his notes in the common room, and some people were going to try to alter them to have false information, so I thought I’d snag them and try to find him.”

Lloyd blinks. “Oh, um, yeah. That- that’s me. Thank you.” 

The girl hands him the papers. “You’re welcome.” She smiles before turning and walking off.

As soon as she’s gone, everyone redirects their attention to Zane. “Alright.” Cole speaks up. “Who were they?”

“It would be unwise to speak of this somewhere so public-“

“Then why bring us here?!” Nya demands loudly. “You can’t just tell us that-“

Zane immediately shushes her. “Not so loud.” He orders. “If they learn that we are aware, Lloyd may be at a higher risk than he was originally!”

Kai hugs Lloyd to his chest, the small blond shivering in his grasp. “There’s gotta be something you can tell us. Zane, please.”

Zane hesitates a moment before speaking in a light whisper. “Lloyd and I shared a class with him just before lunch.” 

Before any of them have a chance to respond, the bell tolls.

“I must get to my next class.” Zane sighs. He then glances at Lloyd. “Be cautious.” He warns, and then quickly walks away, leaving the others there, dumbfounded.

“Master Chen?” Lloyd whispers. “The head of Gryffindor?  **_He’s_ ** out to get me?”

Attention is immediately given to Kai and Nya at the words. The brunet is the first one to speak up. 

“We’ll see what we can find out.”

* * *

Cole has flying class next, and luckily, Jay shares it with him. They get there  **_just_ ** after the bell rings.

“You’re late.” Their professor snaps, clearly annoyed.

“Sorry, Professor.” Jay scratches the back of his head nervously. “It- it won’t happen again!”

“Make sure that it doesn’t.” And with that, he begins the lesson. “Alright, I’m Professor Morro, and I’ll be teaching your flying class, okay? You’re using school brooms, they’re in the bin over there. Grab one. No fighting.”

So everyone makes their way over and grabs a broom. As soon as Jay wraps his fingers around one, he makes a face.

“Everything okay?” Cole questions softly, slightly concerned about annoying Morro by speaking during class.

“The brooms seem pretty low quality, but it’s not a big deal.” Jay shrugs. 

The class seems to drag on forever, Cole too focused on what Zane had talked about to get very into it.

If Chen really has a plan that involves Lloyd, how will they protect him? He’s the head of a house, there’s not a lot they can do!

Kai and Nya are in Gryffindor, maybe they’ll be able to do  **_something_ ** , but the chances are slim. Lloyd really is in danger- and they don’t even know what kind!

Unfortunately, Morro seems to notice his lack of attention. “Focus, Brook.” He snaps.

Cole quickly nods. “Yes, Professor.”

This is going to be a long day.

* * *

At last, they reach the end of the day, where they have free time. 

“How are we supposed to meet with the others? Do we have to go search them out every time we want to talk?” Cole frowns.

Jay pulls a phone out of his pocket. “Are these against school rules? I didn’t see anything about muggle technology not being allowed, so I brought it…” 

Cole lights up. “Jay, you’re a genius. I don’t know if everyone has one, but there definitely wasn’t anything forbidding them in the rules! I can have my dad buy us some- assuming that we have coverage around here…”

“Or, if we get the materials, I could build us some. Mine are better quality, anyway.” The ginger shrugs.

The noirette stares at him for a second. “You can build phones?”

“I grew up at a junkyard. We couldn’t always afford to buy new things, so my dad taught me how to make them- though I did pick up a few things on my own.” Jay gives a proud smile.

Cole blinks. “Uh, okay. Yeah, I’ll see if I can get the parts. If you make me a list, I can send it to my dad with an owl.” Honestly, his dad will probably be glad to see him using muggle technology- he seemed pretty upset with the whole magic thing, and only agreed to let Cole go because he knew it’s what Lilly would have wanted.

Jay grins. “Great! But for now, we’ll probably have to-“

“Zane has a phone.” A new voice joins the conversation, and the two of them turn to see Echo. “I can give you his number, if you want.”

Jay nods. “That would be great!” 

So Echo recites the digits, and Jay types them in. “Is this right?” He asks, showing the brunet his phone.

Echo nods. “Yep!” He confirms cheerfully. “Are you asking him for help with homework? He’s really good at that kind of thing.”

Cole and Jay exchange a quick glance. It’s obvious that neither of them want to lie. 

“Uh, we’re working together to help a friend with a particularly tough problem.” Cole explains. There. It’s not really a lie… it’s just a little misleading truth.

Echo nods. “I’ll see you guys later!” He chirps, heading off to the boys dormitory.

The two breathe a sigh of relief, and Jay turns to his phone, typing out a quick message. “I’ll see about getting us all a regular meeting spot.”

Cole nods. “And I’ll see about getting those parts- well. If you make me a list of what you need.” 

Jay nods. “Grab me something to write with.”

So Cole writes a letter about how things are going good, it’s just that his friends are in other houses and he wishes he could talk to them, and how he would really appreciate getting these parts so that he can stay in contact with them.

There. Hopefully his dad will listen.

A sudden thought strikes him. If he sends a letter, his dad might think it’s okay to do the same. Except, knowing his love of music, he might send a howler with his voice recorded singing something.

Oh well. That’s a risk he’ll have to take. Because Lloyd is  **_way_ ** more important than getting embarrassed in front of the entire school. He’d much rather hide his face behind books than let any of his friends get hurt.


	7. !!NOTE!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please read.

I like the Harry Potter series, so I will be continuing this work. This does **_NOT_ **mean I support JK Rowling. I hate her. Her books are good, she's a bitch. I would just like to get that out there for everyone. Thank you.


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